Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup is a delicious, flavorful, wholesome ingredient substitute to store-bought canned condensed soup. In less than 30 minutes, you'll have a creamy, flavorful, homemade soup to use in your favorite family recipes!
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic, cooking for 2 minutes until softened. Add mushrooms, and stir to coat evenly with butter and onions. Continue cooking for 6-8 minutes, allowing the water to release from the mushrooms. Whisk in white pepper, sea salt, thyme, and flour. Cook the flour for 2 minutes, continuing to stir so it doesn't burn.
Slowly whisk in the room temperature half-and-half and vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer on low for 3-4 minutes, until the soup has thickened. Taste test for salt levels as needed, remembering that you will be using it in another dish, so it doesn't need to be final-product salty.
Remove from heat once it begins to thicken. Let cool before transferring to jars for storage. If using immediately, let cool for approximately 5 minutes to thicken, then proceed with your desired recipe. See notes for storage and freezing.
Notes
A store-bought can of condensed soup is generally 1 1/4 cups; this recipe makes approximately 3 cans (or almost 4 cups total).
This is a condensed soup and should not be eaten by itself. If you want to use this recipe as a creamy mushroom soup, be sure to mix it with an additional vegetable broth to thin out as desired.
Store the soup in an air-tight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
If desired, freeze in an air-tight container with room for expansion. Thaw on the stove over low heat, whisking and stirring frequently when reheating to prevent curdling. Don't bring it to a boil. The texture of the soup may change when freezing because it is dairy-based, and has a higher chance of separating. Please keep this in mind.